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A plane crash that took the lives of two people in 2006 in Oakdale has prompted a lawsuit against four aviation companies by surviving family members. Dave Mesenhimer and Chuck Billington, both residents of Modesto, took off from Modesto airport on February 8th, 2006 in a Zodiac airplane, only to crash 18 minutes
later as they attempted to land at the Oakdale airport. Mesenhimer, a pilot for several years, was co-founder of the Modesto Flight Center. His passenger, Billington, sat on the Modesto Irrigation District Board of Directors, and was a well-known local businessman who owned three manufacturing plants in the area. The day the fatal crash occurred, Billington was in the process of renewing his pilot’s license. The man that Billington had purchased the Zodiac plane from had built the aircraft from a Zenith Aircraft kit.
Families of both men are now suing Zenith Aircraft Company, Zen air and Quality Sport Planes. These companies were involved in the making, selling or promotion of the kit. According to Zenith Aircraft, their belief is that the accident occurred due to negligence on behalf of the victims, and they have responded to the lawsuit. They purport that the two men knew the risks of flying the plane. In the lawsuit filed by the family of the victims, damages are sought for funeral and burial expenses, as well as wrongful death and financial support. Punitive damages are also being sought by the families.
The NTSB has since grounded the two seater plane the victims were traveling in, and according to investigations the Zodiac CH-601 had numerous design defects that could potentially cause the wings to break. 8 additional people have since died in crashes related to the Zodiac aircraft.
Over the last few decades, deaths due to airplane crashes have lessened significantly. Newer planes are much safer than those of past decades, and also faster. Even with improving statistics, each year there are still hundreds of people killed in both private and commercial aircraft. However, the past year has
proven to be a particularly bad one for aviation safety, with several accidents involving commercial planes in the US being reported, not to mention the high profile incident in the Hudson River. California
airplane accident attorneys remain concerned about this issue, particularly because of the higher risk of fatal injuries when accidents do occur. When a commercial plane is involved in a crash, it often leads to hundreds of deaths. The Reeves Law Group has offices across California, and is dedicated to representing
personal injury victims, including victims of aviation accidents. Please contact us
for a free consultation at (800) 644-8000.